Lexus Rx 350 on 2040-cars

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Lexus LS spied wearing googly-eyed mask [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Judging by this mule's dash-to-axle ratio, we think it's probably an LS sedan, not an ES as previously identified. The text below has been updated. Wow. Take a good look at those headlights! As you can see from the images in the gallery above, Lexus is hard at work on the next generation of its luxurious LS sedan. The massive appendages affixed to the front of this mule make us wonder what's going on behind those fake headlights – we'd expect some fancy LED units on the production model. Ditto for the rear, where those equally tacked-on taillights will be replaced with a fancier set with upward-sweeping light bars. Getting past the crazy eyeballs, it seems that Lexus will continue refining its current styling language with the next LS. There's sure to be a pinched Spindle grille, and a long wheelbase ought to offer plenty of space for four adult-size occupants. Whereas the IS and larger GS carry the brand's sportier aspirations, going up against the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the LS will continue to be aimed at a more relaxed luxury buyer. Interestingly, our spy shooters were quick to point out that Lexus brought along 5 Series and 7 Series sedans to compare with its next LS. In any case, we wouldn't expect any significant changes to excite the enthusiast crowd. Related Video:

Google shares more details on self-driving car accidents

Google has pledged to release monthly reports on the status of its self-driving car program, and says these updates will include information on accidents involving the vehicles. But the company won't release the actual accident reports, a sore point for activists who recently have clamored for the company to be more transparent in the way it tests this promising technology on public roads. "Google is dribbling out bits of information in the hope to silence legitimate calls for full transparency," said John Simpson, privacy director for Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit that has asked Google to release reports from the 12 accidents the company says it has been involved in over the past six years. "They are testing on public roads, and the public has a right to know exactly what happened when something goes wrong." Under California law, the accident reports are not considered public records. Google has attributed all accidents to human error, and says drivers of the other cars involved caused 11 of the 12 accidents. In eight of those, the Google cars were rear-ended, and the autonomous vehicles were sideswiped in two other crashes. One of the accidents occurred at an intersection when a human driver failed to yield at a stop sign, and in one incident, a Google driver accidentally rear-ended another car while manually driving. Google had previously provided those details. The first monthly report installment sheds new light on which types of self-driving vehicles were involved, directions of travel, locations, and whether the cars were operating in autonomous or manual mode. Update: Google says this information comes directly from the OL 316 forms used to report accidents involving autonomous cars in California, though it has "edited the summaries lightly to protect other drivers' information." But Google still will not release the original OL 316 forms, nor the "traffic collision report" forms used in California to report accidents. Another company that has been involved in a single self-driving car accident, Delphi Automotive, has released this information, which verified its car was not at fault. Regarding Google, Simpson said, "We now know a few more details of what happened. The problem is that it's Google's version and they want us to take their word for it." The Google self-report adds information that goes beyond accidents, with further details on the company's overall program.

Toyota Recalling 1.67 Million Vehicles Worldwide

UPDATE: Toyota is now announcing specifically which models are covered under its fuel pipe recall in the US. The company is repairing about 423,000 Lexus models that include the 2007-2010 LS, 2006-2011 GS, 2006-2011 IS, 2010 IS C and 2008-2010 IS-F. The automaker says that it isn't aware of any fires, crashes, injuries or fatalities caused by this problem. According to Toyota, the recall is because it's possible for the fuel delivery pipes and the fuel pressure sensor to form a bad seal with the gasket between them because of a protective coating protecting against corrosion on the pipes. It's possible for this to eventually cause a fuel leak, and obviously in a hot engine bay that's a potential fire risk. To fix the problem, dealers will replace the gasket and repair the gasket seating surface between the fuel delivery pipe and the fuel pressure sensor. The company will begin notifying owners soon. You can find the official press release, below. Toyota is issuing three separate recalls covering 1.67 million vehicles worldwide with most of those models in Japan. It looks like the campaigns' impact on the US may be smaller, though. According to Reuters, Toyota isn't aware of any accidents, injuries or fatalities affecting the models. Some yet-unnamed Lexus models might also be affected. The largest of the campaigns does not currently affect any US-market vehicles. About 802,000 units of the Toyota Crown Majesta, Crown, Noah and Voxy in Japan are being repaired to replace a seal that could leak in the brake master cylinder. Those already leaking get a new brake booster, as well, according to Reuters. The only recall currently believed to affect the US is due to a problem covering approximately 759,000 vehicles with 423,000 of them here. The repair is to fix a faulty fuel delivery pipe that could cause a fire if the fuel leaks out. Unfortunately, we don't know which models it covers. Autoblog spoke to Toyota spokesperson Mona Richard and was told the information was still "under embargo." When exactly that embargo will lift isn't yet known, but we're on the case. Finally, Toyota is recalling 190,000 Corolla Rumion and Auris models in Japan for a faulty evaporative emission control unit. Autoblog is in contact with Toyota, and we'll update this story as soon as we know more about its affect on the US market.